The Big Squeeze – by Tracey Wheeler

Today I had the privilege of spending the morning with some great people who are doing great things for people in need. The Community Fruit Harvesting movement was started by Di Celliers around five years ago to help people who don’t have enough to eat. Originally it started as a church garden but then evolved into fresh fruit gathering and turning the fruits into cordial, jam and juice. These products are then sent to as many people as possible including the City Mission, Salvation Army and Hospice.

Fruit is collected on the weekends and then a few times a year they have “The Big Squeeze” which is what I went along for. This involves squeezing, cooking and bottling the cordial. When I left they had made almost 200 bottles and were hoping to get to around 400 before the day was out.

What was also evident was the sense of community; the vibe was upbeat and welcoming and everyone was getting involved with the process. People came and went, dropping off fruit and other people had already dropped off jars and bottles to be used. The whole collective is run by volunteers and has grown so much in size that it now operates nationwide.

The other exciting thing for this group is that they have been awarded 2016 New Zealand Group of the Year. This award recognizes their contribution to the community and highlights their ethos of sustainability, reducing food waste and community. It was really lovely to spend time with upbeat, positive people who are genuinely making a difference in the community. I love the way they are concerned with people who don’t have enough to eat and also with food wastage. There is so much perfectly eatable food out there that is unable to be sold at supermarkets or stores for various reasons and can easily end up going to waste. This group is trying to isolate that and make sure that food can go to the people it can help.

The group has lots of family friendly activities so you can check them out on their website pickfruit.co.nz or on their Facebook page.

I was lucky enough to make a video piece on these lovely people and it will be coming soon to my You Tube page @traceynaturally.

It’s all about great kiwis doing great stuff.

Tracey not only does great stuff herself, she is passionate about spreading the word about healthy, easy nutrition. You can also find her on Instagram and Snapchat: @traceynaturally, Facebook: T.A inc

And check out her previous posts under Nutrition in the YogaTalk Categories!